Stuck in A Fantasy
by Scarlet Meister
Summary: Leaf Green wakes up in a world unfamiliar to her. She has no memory of how she got there. In fact, she doesn't even "remember" the life she's been apparently leading there. In this world where pokemon talk and magic is alive, how is Leaf ever to get back to her own world and memories? She's also going to learn the hard way that being this world's Beauty is harder than it seems!
1. Awakening

**Hey, guys! This is the story that I sort of alluded to in my A/N from _Midsummer Nightmare_'s latest chapter. I've had this story (plus a couple others) stuck in my head, so I just wanted to get it out there and see the general reaction to it. I sincerely do want you guys to review more/longer so I can guage what kind of things you guys like.**

**Speaking of which, I know I haven't left the latest chapter of _Midsummer Nightmare _ up for long, but could you guys give me more or your opinions? **

**To the anonymous user, _Spacebar_, I just wanted to thank you in this for always reviewing my stories/chapters. They seriously do make my day, and I only wish you had an account so I could PM you or something. It sounds like we have a lot in common.**

**Okay, now that I'm done being a creeper, I'm going to talk a teensy bit more about this new story before letting you read it for yourself. It's a fantasy genre, and it's strictly AU (Alternate Universe, folks). There will be some reference to a more "realistic" Pokemon world, but not really. And, of course, the main pairing is ORS. (or whatever you guys want to call it. I just ship it). There are other characters and pairings (so much that my head's kinda spinning just thinking about all of them ). I'm trying out a different writing style from MN that is more like _Virtually Perfect_'s writing style. I hope you guys like it!**

* * *

**Stuck in a Fantasy**

She wakes up in place completely unfamiliar to her. When she first opens her eyes, she is staring up at an elaborately gilded ceiling that she _knows_ is not her own. Last she checked, her bedroom ceiling did _not_ have a golden gilded ceiling with a painting of the starry night sky. Rather than immediately panic, Leaf forces herself to close her hazel eyes again and take deep breaths.

Maybe if she just shut her eyes for a moment and then reopened them, things will be different.

Blinking rapidly, Leaf exposes herself to her surroundings once more. No luck. If anything, she can now even see a white, fancy-looking vanity out of her peripheral vision.

Giving up, Leaf sits up in the queen-sized bed. There are four posts on her bed, though there is no canopy over her head. Instead, there is a see-through green curtain that drapes itself around the four posts, forming a rectangle.

Leaf's eyes scan the room, both curious and apprehensive, and soaking in the sight before her. It would not be a stretch to say that her room was expensively decorated. There was the white vanity, several fine tapestries, a rather large looking bookshelf that dominated the majority of the room, an old-fashioned writing desk, stained-glass double-doors and windows, and a matching white armoire that was slightly ajar.

Carefully getting out of the bed, Leaf tiptoes across the room to inspect the armoire. Did she somehow sleepwalk into Narnia or something? Maybe the armoire is the way back home to Pallet Town?

The back of the armoire is solid oak. Leaf even double-checks this fact by tapping a fist against it lightly, checking for the non-existent hollow sound. Leaf then pinches herself to make sure she's not dreaming. Nope. It hurt a little.

As Leaf pulls her head out from in the armoire, she spots the yellow sundress draped over what looks to be a changing screen.

She looks down at her clothes. She's wearing a white nightgown. Funny, because Leaf doesn't own any nightgowns…

Racking her brain for her memory of last night, Leaf finds that she cannot remember anything along the lines of falling asleep in such a fancy looking bedroom. Actually, she can't remember much of anything from yesterday either.

Deciding that putting on the yellow dress wouldn't hurt her, Leaf trots over to behind the changing screen and pulls off the white nightgown. Once she's done sliding the soft fabric of the sundress over her head, Leaf smooths it out over her knee and steps out from behind the changing screen.

Grabbing a white ribbon and tying her chestnut locks into a low ponytail out of her face, Leaf takes one more look around the room and decides that wherever she is, she _can't_ be in danger. If she is, wouldn't she be in some dungeon or something?

Her bangs are still irritatingly in her face, though. She could never manage to tie it back due to its short length. Leaf really misses her white fedora.

…._wait_…what happened to her pokémon?!

Frantically, Leaf searches the room again for the red and white pokéballs. She doesn't find her usual yellow messenger bag either.

Perhaps she should've been freaking out earlier, but Leaf had been trying to be calm and rational. So much for that.

She hears a light knock on her door, causing her to freeze immediately in place. The person probably isn't going to hurt her, considering the fact that he or she knocked, but still…

After grabbing small obelisk statuette that had been decorating one of the book shelves and silently sliding to the door, Leaf cautiously says, "Come in."

The right side of the dark oak double doors begins to open, revealing …_Eevee_.

Leaf's jaw almost drops in shock. Her own eevee was standing before her, except much more humanized looking. Eevee doesn't look completely like her pokémon form, but not quite human either. She is the size of child, but still had those cute little ears sticking out of her brunette hair. Basically, she looks like a pokémon fanatic cosplaying as Eevee or something. Except the fur and ears seem _very_ real. Not to mention, there is a bushy tail peeking out from behind Eevee, swishing back and forth in the air.

'_What in the name of Arceus is going on?!'_ Leaf wonders.

"Geez, Leaf," Eevee says, eyeing the raised statuette, "I knew you weren't much of a morning person….but don't you think attempting to attack me is going too far?"

"You-" Leaf's mouth opens and closes several times in disbelief, "you can talk!"

Eevee pushes the door a little forward and then back in an exaggerated motion, "Yes, and this door opens and closes. Are we done now?"

"Sass," Leaf mutters, trying to recall if _her_ Eevee ever gave her any of this sass. It never had seemed like it, though her Eevee couldn't talk either.

Wait…maybe this is some sort of prank? She could be on some television set, having this pokémon fanatic cosplay rather realistically as a pokémon and then see how much she wigs out.

Well, in that case, Leaf will not give them what they want and will act composed. Despite logic protesting this, Leaf clings onto this theory like a life-line, not willing to accept any other answers for this mystery.

"Breakfast is ready," Eevee gestures towards the hallway. Her ears twitch a little, "I think Master's preparing for the usual morning routine."

Master? Who is the 'Master'?

"Ash?" Leaf says confusedly out loud.

Did her childhood friend somehow achieve his dream title overnight?

"Who?" Eevee asks, with just as much confusion written on her face. "No matter. Just be careful not to say another man's name in front of the Master. _That'll_ be a real slap to the face."

So the 'Master' is a man. Leaf has a sinking feeling that the term 'master' is _not_ referring to the trainer title…

Eevee then leads her downstairs to the dining hall, passing through numerous hallways that Leaf tries in vain to remember. There is _no_ way that Leaf is going to remember how to get back to her designated room.

But the most disturbing thing is how authentic everything seems. All the tapestries and paintings seem to be genuinely ancient and all…_old-fashioned_. Leaf almost feels like a princess gliding through the halls with an escort. Except for the fact that she's _not_ a princess, isn't wearing a fancy ball gown, and that her escort is a _pokémon_, for crying out loud.

At last, they finally arrive in the _humongous_ dining room. It can probably hold all of Pallet Town comfortably with its size.

Sunlight streams in through the numerous windows in the room, all of which were the height of the whole wall. They all had dark blue curtains, which were pulled back to allow the maximum amount of sunlight to trickle into the large room. Leaf figures that it is to make her feel the most comfortable or something.

Once Leaf gracefully slides into her seat at the head of a long table, Eevee begins to turn around and walk out the door.

"Wait," Leaf says frantically, not wanting her to leave her alone yet. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"Oh," Eevee pauses right by the entrance they had come through, "right."

Leaf smiles warmly at the pokémon, expecting her to go get a chair to pull up the long dining table in the center of the room.

Eevee beams brightly, "Azu made poffins and pokéblocks this morning!"

With that, she darts quickly away, leaving Leaf all to herself in the vast and empty dining hall.

Leaf casts a curious glance to the bountiful amount of food spread before her. It seems such a waste for just her and the 'Master' to eat.

"I wonder what he's like?" Leaf muses to herself out loud before deciding to get up and walk around the dining hall to wait for him.

Perhaps dining hall isn't the proper term for the room. There is even a grand staircase on the other side of the room that Leaf had entered from. There is a whole other floor of the dining hall, making Leaf wonder why the place is so huge if there is so little people- er people pokémon?- eating in here.

There's actually a silky red rope stretching across the grand staircase's banister, as if to say 'Do not cross', but Leaf disregards it anyway. She doesn't recall Eevee telling her not to go anywhere. Besides, she'd still be able to see the 'Master' when he comes in, right?

Leaf cautiously climbs the steps, just in case it had been roped off due to instability. At the top of the stairs, Leaf is faced with a life-size portrait of a woman. She is undoubtedly beautiful, but there is a kind look in her eyes that makes Leaf almost immediately admire her. She actually kinda reminds Leaf of Daisy, Gary's older sister, but not quite. The woman looks much too old to be her.

Turning to the smaller portrait on the right, Leaf curiously inspects the painting. There are two subjects of the painting: one is a young brunette girl who calmly sits with a teacup in hand, while the other is a younger brunet boy standing beside her, a smirk on his face.

Leaf reels back from the painting, blinking rapidly in shock.

"Miss Leaf," a familiar voice says from behind her. "Is there a reason that you decided to not eat breakfast?"

Nearly jumping out of her skin from the shock, Leaf quickly whirls around to face the voice. The source comes from slightly below her, as the owner is at the middle landing of the grand staircase while she is at the very top.

"_Gary?!"_

The creature-beast-pokémon- thingy in front of her frowns slightly. Or at least, Leaf thinks so. She can't really discern his facial expressions when she's having a hard time getting past his physical appearance.

Gary must be in on the prank too. He certainly looks nothing like his normal egotistical self. The air around him is quiet and gentle, humble even. Whenever Gary was _too_ nice to her as a child, Leaf knew something was up.

Besides, Gary would _never_ cosplay- for no good reason- as a pokémon, let alone what looks to be a Frankenstein version of Arcanine, Electivire, Scizor, Houndoom, and….Fearow. One arm is that of Scizor, the other, the arm of Electivire, with the wires sticking from his back as well. Houndoom is the majority of his body, while Arcanine's fur is around his neck like a mink scarf and around his mouth. There are huge wings folded at his side. The only thing recognizable about Gary is his viridian eyes.

Oh, and his unbelievably spiky hair. It seems Gary's ego still remained in the form of him keeping his styled hair. Though even that seems slightly disheveled this morning…

"You need to brush your hair, Gary," Leaf tells him, feeling the urge to go over there herself and fix it. She begins to descend towards him, putting together that he is the 'Master'.

So Gary is the mastermind behind this ridiculous prank, eh? Whatever, Leaf will find a way to turn this around on him…right after she milks it out for all its worth.

Gary seems surprised at her statement, "How did you-?"Then he returns to frowning, "Why is it that you call me that, Miss Leaf?"

"Because," Leaf rolls her eyes, finally reaching him. She's slightly apprehensive of his bird wings but goes near as she can bear without flinching. "that's your name, _Gary_."

"What if I said my name is…" Gary fumbles for another name, "Tracy Sketchit?"

"Tracy?" Leaf snorts in disbelief, "You expect me to believe that your name is _Tracy_?"

"Maybe," Gary says defensively. Then his look of surprise returns to his face. "Wait a minute, Miss Leaf….why are you so close to me?"

"Stop calling me that," Leaf steps closer to him, defiantly deciding to see how he would react, "you're making me feel like I'm being creeped on by some butler or something."

"I apologize," a look akin to embarrassment and shame crosses Gary's face as he backs away. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

Okay, _wait_. Gary hardly _ever_ apologizes. Especially for making her uncomfortable. He practically _lives_ to violate her personal space. Something's not right.

"I'm just a little hesitant to be near you when you're," Leaf, at a slight loss for words, merely gestures wildly to the huge wings by his side. "you know."

"I'm afraid I don't," Gary shakes his head, but he begins to turn around and begin walking down the steps. "Miss Leaf, while you are a _guest_ here, you need to respect the rules I've set up for you."

"What rules?" Leaf follows him, but stops upon hearing his words.

"You are allowed anywhere you wish, but not into the West Wing," he doesn't look back at her.

This is beginning to sound awfully familiar. Finally deciding to test her old theory, Leaf tugs on the pointy Houndoom tail.

Gary whips it out from her so fast that Leaf could've sworn she never held the tail at all. Leaf blinks several times before she processes the fact that her attempt to see if the tail is real or not has failed.

"My tail's rather sensitive, Miss Leaf," Gary murmurs, "so I'd appreciate it if you didn't tug on it so."

"Okay," Leaf bursts, "I've had _enough_ of this."

"I'm sorry," Gary's mouth twists into remorseful line, "but we've already gone over this. You are a _guest_ here-"

The way he kept emphasizing 'guest' in order to comfort her should've been a tip off. Gary would never need to make her feel comfortable around him. His goal is to make her feel _uncomfortable_. Of course, Leaf, does not pay heed to the warning bells in her mind.

"_No_," Leaf shakes her head emphatically, "I'm sick of this _prank_. Just take off the freaking costume already!"

"Costume?" Gary blinks rapidly. Then his viridian eyes darken, "Do you think that I'm in a _costume _ for my own amusement?!"

"You're…not?" Leaf asks, shrinking back from him in surprise and tiny bit of fear.

"Of course not," Gary says, though his tone is slightly cold. "If only, Miss Leaf."

The brief two minute walk back to the center of the dining hall is tense and awkward to Leaf, who couldn't help but wonder what happened to Gary.

He's a perfect gentleman and pulls her chair out for her. He then crosses to the other side of the long table, way out of her reach.

Leaf, hungry by now, begins reaching for food, thinking that Gary is too. She stops short as she's spreading butter on a warm roll of bread.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Leaf inquires, raising an eyebrow. "It's kinda unsettling for me to be eating all by myself and have you just…_stare_ at me the whole time."

"…eat?" Gary says slowly, confusion in his tone.

Leaf gestures to the feast laid out before her, "This is enough to feed all of Pallet Town for a _week_."

"…" Gary merely looks down at the table silently.

"Please," Leaf pleads. Seriously, do you _know_ how uncomfortable it is to be eating and having someone blatantly stare at you while you do so? "Please eat."

At her request, Gary begins to reluctantly eat. He finishes his plate far before Leaf does and patiently waits for her to finish. He, of course, goes back to watching her eat.

When she's done, he immediately asks, "Miss Leaf, will you marry me?"

Leaf, drinking fresh orange juice at the time, does a spit take, "Wait, wha-?"

She looks straight at him to see if he's joking, but he only looks back at her, a deadly serious expression on his face.

"No," Leaf answers after a short pause. She feels flattered, she really does. But she's too young for marriage, and it feels wrong to agree to something she's not 100% for. "I'm sorry, but I don't love you, Gary."

She doesn't love Gary that way. At least, not _now._

Gary groans loudly, putting his claw and paw onto his head, clear agony on his face.

He gets up to abruptly leave, and that's when Leaf knows.

She knows this isn't some joke. Gary would never be _that_ good of an actor.

"Wait," Leaf calls out to him, bustling out of her seat to run after him, "where are you going?"

He stops, looking back at her in surprise. He says rather pathetically, "To go where I usually go, Miss Leaf. It's routine now."

"Are you saying you propose to me every day?" Leaf says in disbelief.

Oh no….

"_Twice_ a day," Gary corrects before casting her a worried look. "Did you hit your head somewhere?"

Before Leaf can bother shaking her head, Gary quickly puts his paw up. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Leaf gives him an odd look, "….You don't _have_ any fingers."

Gary nods to himself, seeming satisfied, "I see your infamous sass is still in working condition."

He turns back around, heading off to wherever he usually goes to sulk over his rejection.

"Surely your ego's stronger than that," Leaf calls out to his retreating back, "You still talk to me later, so why not stay?"

Gary stops and turns to look at her, the deadly serious expression back on his face, "Because, Miss Leaf-"

"Just 'Leaf'," she cuts in, feeling rather annoyed with the 'Miss Leaf' business.

With a sad smile, the brunet corrects himself, "…_Leaf_, a beautiful girl such as you…can _never _love a beast like me."

That line just clinches it for Leaf. The deep suspicion she already has manages to wrestle its way out from inside her and fight its way to the surface. Somehow, someway, she's _stuck_ in a fairy tale... _Beauty and the Beast_.

* * *

**I just want to say right away that, "No, this is _not_ Disney's Beauty and the Beast. This is a spin from the classic." **

**I KNOW Gary seems majorly OOC, but this is an AU, and he will not always be like this. In the classic, the Beast is actually very meek and gentle towards Beauty- or, in this case, Leaf. He'll still have a bit of his signature arrogance, but it's downplayed A LOT.**

**YES, I mentioned cosplaying. Google Eevee cosplay and you'll get the general gist of what I was talking about for Eevee. Sort of. Execpt it's...you know, real. (Ignore any rambling. It's late...and I just realized I have the tendency to update when it's late and my brain's not working). **

**My writing style is now third person and SUPER descriptive. What I wanna know is your opinion on this. Do you like it? Do you think I should describe things more or less?**

**Please give me your comments, opinions, and suggestions!**


	2. First Day

**Oh wow. For once, I'm not taking that long to update for a story. It's been a month-ish? I guess it's just because I'm REALLY enthusiastic about this story. I'm also feeling kind of on fire (still on a laughing hype from my April Fool's day story. That ending was random)**

**Anyway, thanks to AquaStarlight, Spacebar, and 19Madison for reviewing the last chapter!**

**Warning: Gary is OOC. He's kinda going to be for the vast majority of the story. (I'm dealing with AU, here, people).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

* * *

It takes Leaf a while to fully process things. During her distraction, Gary slips out of the dining hall, evidently disappearing to nurse his wounded ego. Not that this world's Gary has much of an ego to begin with anyway.

It's extremely strange for Leaf to see Gary with so little confidence in himself. Even stranger than seeing him as a pokémon-hybrid-thingy. The Gary she knows would've been boasting about his good looks or skills and would've always been trying to make her uncomfortable.

Finally blinking back into reality- or rather, _this_ reality- Leaf gathers herself and begins to clean up after herself. She wonders who takes the trouble to set up this large array of food and then thinks that she should at least help clean out considering she's the only one who really ate.

She can't help but feel like someone's watching her, but she shrugs it off.

"Now where do these go?" Leaf murmurs to herself, looking at the used plates and utensils she had gathered. Maybe she should've asked Eevee where the kitchen is…

She looks around the room, hoping to see at least a cart that she could leave these on, but there is none. Or, at least, not at _first_. Almost as if hearing her thoughts, a cart appears in her line of sight when she looks around for the second time.

"Thank you," Leaf says aloud, as she puts the dirty dishes onto the cart. She's not sure if this is some invisible servant helping her or some pokémon's magic or something, but it wouldn't hurt to be grateful.

Leaf then leaves the dining hall, wandering about the drafty castle corridors for…_something_. She stops along the way at the tapestries, wondering if any of them would give her a clue as to _what_ happened to turn Gary into the Frankenstein-beast-thingy. None of them do, instead portraying multiple legendary pokémon.

Out of curiosity, she also occasionally checks closed doors. So far, Leaf's discovered what seem to be a mini-theatre, a ballroom, and about fifty guest bedrooms. There is neither a secret room nor anything that could possibly help Leaf shed light on anything.

_Wait_, is she technically cheating the story since she knows how it goes? Should she be following the fairy tale to the letter or should she be going about in her own way? Wasn't there technically already a Leaf?

…Arceus, what if there's another one walking around _right now_?!

After a brief moment of panic, Leaf manages to dismiss the thought. It's more likely that there had been a switcheroo, and this reality's Leaf is in _her_ world. Leaf can only hope that this realm's Leaf won't mess up her life _too_ much.

As if to comfort her, bright lights seem to emit from a glass door way, its light tumbling out into the hallway. Leaf considers sticking her head into the doorway to see what's in the room with such a bright light, but rejects the notion when she hears birds chirping inside. No doubt, it is the aviary of the castle.

Leaf pushes past that glass doors, striding quickly to find somewhere else. To her surprise, she finds herself facing the dark oak double doors leading to her bed chambers. She doesn't know how she didn't notice it before, but the aviary is actually _very_ close to her bedroom chambers.

The thought of this unsettles Leaf a little, so she makes sure to shut the thick double doors of her room as a standard precautionary for her safety.

* * *

One would think that with all of the books in Leaf's room, she'd be able to get _some_ answers. Unfortunately, the only person from whom she could _possibly_ get answers from had stalked out of the dining hall while Leaf had been distracted with her thoughts, and Leaf had not been able to run into Eevee or some other pokémon humanoid thingy on her way back to her room.

She has her nose buried into a book about the history of Valois- she's guessing that this is the name of this land- when a sharp knock interrupts her quiet reading.

"Come in," Leaf calls, not bothering to stick her head out from the book. Valois is apparently a peninsular kingdom, though a piece of the southern lands had broken off in a storm and formed its own island.

The door opens with a creaking sound, though the visitor has yet to say anything to her. She flips through two more pages of the book before deciding that the silence in the room is starting to be unsettling.

"Yes?" Leaf looks up from her book, not sure whether to be shocked or not that it's Gary awkwardly standing in her room. She's sure that the ever sassy Eevee probably would have said something by then.

She resists the urge to laugh at the awkward expression on his face. The sight before her is a slightly funny picture, seeing a hulky Gary sort of shrinking into himself as if to minimize his presence in her room. He just looks too out of place in her dainty room, and his facial expression does not help.

"I was worried about you, Miss Leaf," Gary murmurs, sending her a small smile. "You did not spend your time in the aviary like you usually do."

_For the love of Mew_, she's _already_ done something wrong in the storyline!

"I'm afraid I just didn't feel up to it." Leaf shrugs, trying to play off her mistake. Did this world really fall into the same routine every day? How...mundane. But at least it wouldn't be _too_ difficult for her to assimilate into the story then.

"Are you feeling well?" Gary steps forward in concern, but seems to think badly of this decision and takes the step back. "Shall I get Chantilly to take a look at you?"

"I'm fine," Leaf attempts to reassure him, shaking her head frantically. She has no idea what pokémon Chantilly is, but she'd be better off not being possibly being detected as the "fake" Leaf for now. Though there is one thing she's slightly unsettled by. "Um…but _how_ did you know I wasn't in the aviary…?"

Gary blinks in surprise, as if either she should've already known the answer or she should've known to not ask such a question. "Vignette told me that you have not visited her today."

"Venesaur's in the aviary?" Leaf speaks before she can even process her words. Hurriedly, she attempts to backtrack, babbling instead, "I mean…right. Vignette's in the aviary…haha, like always, since, you know, there are trees and plants in there too… I think we should start calling that room the greenhouse or something….Not after me though! After all, it'd-"

"Miss Leaf," Gary addresses her. He frowns in concern, his Houndoom tail flicking back and forth as if in an anxious manner, "are you sure you didn't hit your head anywhere…?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Leaf answers, snapping the book shut and placing it on one of the piles surrounding her. How much time has she spent in her room? She has about six piles of books in total, though about half are just ones she's set aside for future reading…is it about lunchtime? "I just…temporarily forgot."

"As a matter of fact," Leaf continues, as she steps over one of the smaller book piles to be closer to Gary, "I'm starting to think that _you _are the one forgetting something."

"I am?" Gary does not seem to be confused, but rather, slightly amused.

Leaf pokes his chest in a mockingly accusing manner, "You, dear sir, have forgotten to just call me '_Leaf_'."

Gary only stares at her blankly.

"Um….Gary?" Leaf tries after a few moments pass by in awkward silence.

"I didn't think you were serious at the time," Gary says almost breathlessly, looking at her in fascination.

"I don't say things I don't mean," Leaf tells him.

"But don't girls normally say things they don't mean?" Gary asks, a small look of confusion on his face.

"_Well_…" Leaf debates on her answer. Clearly, this reality's Gary knows _nothing_ about girls, so she doesn't want to screw up his perception of them. "_Yes_ and _no_. It all depends on the girl and the situation."

"I'll keep that in mind," Gary notes. He adds in a softer tone, "Maybe I should start writing things like these down for future reference."

"I'm not _that_ difficult to understand," Leaf questions, "…am I?"

"Well…" Gary trails off, smiling insmiling in such a way that practically tells her the answer is _'yes_'.

Leaf opens her mouth to reply but is cut off by her stomach making a gurgling, growling sound.

"I understand that _that_ means you're hungry, however," Gary's expression actually takes on something almost similar to what Leaf knows in her world as the infamous Oak smirk.

Leaf flushes, slightly embarrassed. "I could go for lunch right about now."

"That's all good," Gary says, looking rather amused. "Except it's actually _suppertime_."

* * *

"Are you just going to stare at me the whole night?" Leaf asks, looking up at him as she twirls her fork in her pasta.

Even though she knows without a doubt that Gary would _never_ hurt her, it's unsettling that he's not eating anything at the meal.

"I'm merely waiting for you to finish," Gary solemnly responds from the other end of the table.

"Ooookay," Leaf decides, putting her fork down. "Not that your staring isn't creeping me out or anything, but…"

"My apologies, Leaf," he responds almost immediately, a guilty expression on his face. "I do not mean to make you uncomfortable. I'm just waiting for you to finish so that I may propose."

"Propose?" Leaf repeats weakly, not sure if she could handle another proposal at the moment. It's strange enough for her to be accepting that she's in an alternate universe as Beauty. "Do you really have to…?"

It certainly can't be any easier for Gary, who proposes to her twice a day without fail and is rejected every time.

"Of course," Gary nods, "And I do it when you are finished eating, as you requested, so I would not sour or ruin your meal."

She didn't make that request…

Did her alternate self really request that of him?! Alternate-Leaf sounds a bit like a…well, a totally insensitive person.

"Well," Leaf says as she forms a cradle for her head with her hands, leaning forward to smile at him, "from now on, I want the proposal first thing so that it's not just…_looming_."

But Leaf then thinks better of her request. Who is she to tell Gary when to propose, even when she'll reject him? Besides, proposals are typically supposed to be spontaneous and not planned by the person being proposed to. And she'd be totally hypocritical if she dictated when and when it shouldn't happen.

"Actually," Leaf backtracks, "it doesn't matter. Do it whenever _you _want." She adds after a moment's thought, "Just not when I'm in the middle of chewing or drinking something."

"As you wish," Gary notes patiently, though he gives her a small and shy smile.

Leaf barely picks up her fork again to start on the pasta before it gets too cold when Gary takes a deep breath.

"Are you okay?" Leaf asks in concern, pausing her fork mid-way on its route to the plate.

"Leaf…will you marry me?" Gary's viridian eyes lock solemnly with Leaf's own hazel, causing her sense of déjà vu. Unlike before, there is a small flicker of _hope_ in them. That small flicker is enough to make Leaf almost want to cry.

"No, Gary," Leaf shakes her head apologetically. "I-I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Gary sends her a reassuring smile, and Leaf can't help but be relieved that she does not have to hear his heart wrenching groans of agony. She already feels terrible for what had happened this morning.

He gets up to leave then, pushing his large dining chair back in the process.

"No!" Leaf practically pushes the table upwards as her legs bang against the table in her frantic haste after him. "Don't leave!"

"Why," Gary asks, pausing with his back to her. Though the clipped and wounded way that he says so makes his question seem more like a statement. Perhaps it's even worse that he's not wailing in front of her. At least that would've been a way for him to vent.

"Because," Leaf says, wringing her hands together nervously and wondering how terrible she'd be for making him stay with her. "I want to get to know you better."

She also doesn't want to be alone, especially in such a large room with nothing too friendly or familiar to her.

He remains silent, but Leaf can't help but feel slightly encouraged by the fact that he isn't walking away.

"Please," she entreats in a gentle and soft tone, "sit down and eat with me."

Leaf waits with a bated breath for his answer.

"….okay," Gary finally murmurs, turning around. "Because you asked me."

They both sit down, and Leaf silently twirls her pasta, unsure of what topic would be comfortable for both of them. She doesn't want to start talking about something that would contradict alternate-Leaf.

Before Leaf can think of anything, she hears a grunt of annoyance from the other end. To her amusement, when Leaf looks up, she sees an irritated Gary attempting to pick up his utensils.

Suppressing a giggle, Leaf asks, "Is something wrong?"

Of course there's something wrong, though. Gary's paw and claw probably aren't physically able to pick up silverware. Perhaps that's the real reason why he never eats with her. The still prideful part of Gary would not allow for Leaf to see him struggle with eating properly. Leaf can't help but wonder if Gary usually eats whenever he is not in the presence of his guest.

"No," Gary growls, though Leaf is sure it's because he's part arcanine rather than out of annoyance.

Leaf amusedly watches Gary fumble with the silver utensils for the next five minutes before she decides to intervene.

Humming to herself, Leaf grabs a warm roll and begins to spread butter on it before grabbing the spare utensils further up the table. Gary pauses, watching her out of curiosity. When Leaf is done arranging the utensils and the string that had been wrapped around their napkins, there is a miniature catapult of sorts on her end of the table. Of course, it is flimsy and insubstantial at best, but Leaf is no Leonardo Da Vinci.

"What are you-" Gary begins to ask, but Leaf cuts him off.

"Keep your mouth wide open," she instructs him as her finger pushes back the large spoon.

"Why?" He questions as a response but does as she asks nonetheless.

Leaf, sticking out her tongue and closing one eye in concentration, then takes her finger off of the spoon, causing the buttery roll to fly in an arc across the table.

The roll ends up hitting Gary square on his arcanine nose.

"Whoops," Leaf mutters as Gary rubs his nose and gives her a curious look. "A tad too high."

"Are you trying to wage a food war?" Gary raises his eyebrows in amusement.

"Let me try again," Leaf demands, cutting off the leg of the warm roast chicken to her upper left and loading it onto the catapult instead of responding to his question.

Gary, this time aware of her intentions, leans forward to meet the drumstick in his mouth. He chews slowly on it before spitting the whole bone out onto his plate, making loud crunching sounds with his mouth in the process.

"My apologies," Gary grimaces, realizing how terrible his table manners might seem to Leaf.

"What's there to apologize for?" Leaf laughs merrily, eyeing other dishes of the vast spread before her. Which would be the least messy to fling over?

Gary swallows, "For my lack of dining etiquette."

"Oh." Leaf blinks, finally looking at him. Then she smiles widely. "It's okay. I've seen _way_ worse."

Leaf can't help but think of Ash at the moment. He once cleaned out the whole Pallet Town fair's buffet within the time span of _an hour_.

Gary, noting the foreign and faraway look in her eyes even from across the table, softly inquires, "Is everything…okay?"

"I-I'm fine." Leaf's voice catches as she answers. "I'm just… just a little homesick is all."

Maybe she should just stop thinking about Ash and all her Pallet Town friends for now. She's been trying to deny it even to herself, but she _really_ wants to go back home. To _her_ world.

'You have Gary,' she reminds herself. 'He's still here, even if this version of him acts nothing like him.'

She has to give this world a shot. She'd only be miserable crying over spilt milk. All she should focus on is finding a way home while still enjoying herself here.

"I'm sorry," Leaf laughs mechanically, "I'm ruining the nice mood of this evening."

"No…" Gary says after a few moments of watching her in silence. "I'm afraid this just marks this as the point that I bid you goodnight. You seem to have had a long day of reading."

Gary wouldn't know it, but Leaf _did_ have a long day. After all, finding out you're in a fantasy world isn't a common occurrence for Leaf…or for _anyone_ for that matter.

"Alright," Leaf says haltingly as she gets up from her dining chair. "I suppose I'll go to my room now." After a pause, she asks, "Do you need any help with clearing the table?"

"Do not concern yourself with such matters." Gary shakes his head, sadly smiling at her for some unknown reason. "Goodnight, Leaf."

* * *

For no reason in particular, Leaf finds herself staring up at the elaborately gilded ceiling with a painting of the starry night sky during the late hours of the night. Or rather, the early hours of the twilight.

Before she woke up, she almost forgot that she's no longer home. Now that she's awake, however, the matter of getting home overtakes the forefront of Leaf's mind. Deciding that she can't possibly go back to sleep, Leaf pushes the comfy blanket off of her and allows her feet to touch the cold hardwood floor of her bedroom.

It's too dark outside for her to read, and with this fantasy world comes its lack of technological innovations. If she wants to be able to see properly in the dark, she'd need a candle, and, unfortunately, Leaf has no idea where to get one.

So, Leaf ends up cautiously shuffling her way around the bedroom, being careful not to bump into anything or stub her toes on the way to the other side of the room. Moonlight shines through the stained glass door, gradually making her trip a little easier as she got closer.

The air is fresh and crisp when Leaf opens the doors, and she is immediately assaulted with the sound of kricketunes chirping and the sight of little glowing illumise hovering near the flowers and vinery growing off of the balcony railings. The sight before her is all so tranquil and almost… magically beautiful.

Leaf sighs as she walks to the end of the balcony and clutches onto the ivy-covered railing. With no sight of pokémon hybrids, Leaf can almost pretend that she's back home. Home, where her parents and friends could possibly be worrying about her.

'No,' she thinks to herself. 'Stop thinking about them. You should be focusing on getting out of here first. And to do that, you have to get through the storyline. Then I'm sure some portal will tear through the time-space continuum to take you back home….at least, that's how it works in those sci-fi movies.'

A sudden rustling sound jolts Leaf from her mental conversation. She feels as if there are eyes watching her, just like earlier in the dining hall. She wants to believe that there aren't, but here, outside on a balcony in the middle of the night with nothing but a flimsy white nightgown, Leaf can't help but feel vulnerable.

Turning ever so slowly, Leaf rotates her body to face this mystery intruder jostling the leaves of the balcony.

She finds herself face to face with dark red eyes that seem to glow in the night and pierce her very soul.

* * *

**Okay, so, truth be told, I decided to make this chapter short and be a troll with the ending. I won't take (too) long in updating the next chapter since I know how aggravating being in suspense can be (Ahem! AquaStarlight and Aphelia with SF)**

**Most of this is Gary/Leaf interactions, which, in MY opinion, were pretty darn cute. I don't know about you guys, but I ship this XD**

**My personal favorite was the scene in which Gary awkwardly enters Leaf's bedroom out of concern alllll the way up to when he tells her that she's actually skipped lunch during her reading obsession (Oh, Leaf, you're already resembling Belle). Which Leaf/Gary moment is yours? (Geez, I'm sounding like Dora here).**

**Also, yes, Venesaur is known as Vignette in this world. They're gijinka (knowledge courtesy of AquaStarlight and Spacebar) but still have names like humans. Vignette sounds like "vine", which Venesaur has. And because Vignette is French for "Little Vine". Anyone want to guess who Chantilly is?**

**Ahaha, and I love how I avoid talking about the ending. Anyone also want to guess who it is/ what's going to happen?**

**Anyway, I just want feedback and speculations in general! **

**Please give me your comments, opinions, and suggestions.**


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